Monthly Archives: October 2011

Congratulations to our 2011 GK-12 ShowMe Nature fellows for creating a terrific science excursion, “Science Safari: Scientists in the Natural Habitats!” for students from their host classrooms.

On October 28th, 32 fourth and fifth grade students from the Columbia Public School District participated in science-in-action as they visited several labs at MU and worked directly on research projects with their graduate student guides. These students read tree rings to travel “back in time” exploring Missouri as it looked hundreds of years ago; they extracted DNA from “elephant poop”, used pond organisms as bio-indicators to determine the health of a wetland, and discovered how insects communicate through vibration. During a Trick-or-Treat activity, MU faculty and graduate students delighted the young scientists with tricks that included live snakes, frogs, katydids, and more!

The day wrapped up with a treat at Buck’s Ice Cream Place where the students learned a bit(e) about the science of food. The students left with a passport full of souvenirs from the day’s activities, tons of new knowledge, and personal experience with the scientific process!